Fernandina Filibuster Fiasco: Birth of the 1895 Cuban War of Independence

by Antonio Rafael de la Cova

n early January 1895, Cuban exile leaderJose Marti completed preparations in the United States and the Caribbean to ignite I a revolt against Spanish colonial despotism in his homeland. Three vessels were chartered in New York and Boston to retrieve hundreds of weapons from a warehouse in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and board contingents of Cuban revolutionaries in Key West, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica to disembark on the island in conjunction with nationwide internal uprisings. During the previous forty-five years, Cuban patriots had been launching dozens of similar military filibuster expeditions from the United States, which the federal government moved to sup­ press for violating the Neutrality Act. The Fernandina affuir ran into trouble when New York's World revealed parts of the conspir­ acy and the local collector ofcustoms reacted by taking legal steps to seize the weapons, have the sailing charters revoked, and detain Marti and his cohorts for questioning. These events, known as the Fernandina Plan, have never been fully analyzed. Historians, including Marti's biographers, have generally relied on his scant correspondence on the project, the sketchy version in his newspaper Patna, and the brief and some­ times confused accounts written by two participants decades later. A perpetuation of myths and errors has existed for over a century. In 1920, Willis Fletcher Johnson inaccurately wrote in his four-vol-

Antonio Rafael de la Cow is Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies at Rose­ Hulman Institute of Technology.

[16] FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 17 ume The History of Cuba that Marti had "purchased and equipped three vessels, the Amadis, the Baracoa and the Lagonda, only to suf­ fer the mortification and very heavy loss of having them seized by the American authorities for violation of the neutrality law." Two decades later, the encyclopedia Cuba en la mano erroneously stated that Marti and the expeditionaries were arrested by the United States Government. In 1982, Nydia Sarabia ofthe Centro de Estudios Martianos in Havana mistakenly blamed the Pinkerton Detective Agency for the expedition's failure and repeated the falsehood that "The port of Fernandina was a swarm of federal agents, of policemen, [and] spies." In 1995, Cuban exile and writer Carlos Alberto Montaner alleged that "the United States Navy had detained in the port ofFernandina the three steamers loaded with weapons." The truth is that only two of the expeditionary vessels arrived in the sleepy little town, and there were no military ships in the area, except a disabled revenue cutter one hundred miles away in Savannah.l This article analyzes previously unknown details of the covert expedition preparations and ascertains the causes of the fiasco. It describes the whistle-blowing role of informants and the yellow press, the blunders and indiscretions of Cuban rebels, the legal steps taken by federal authorities, Spain's diplomatic reaction, and the indefatigable efforts of two Americans-Fernandina entrepre­ neur Nathaniel Barnett Borden and New York attorney Horacio Rubens-to redeem the Fernandina Plan. This work is based on previously neglected materials in the National Archives (including documents from the United States Departments of State, Justice, and Treasury), the Bureau of Customs, contemporary newspapers from New York, Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charleston, and the Nathaniel Barnett Borden Papers in the Amelia Island Museum of History. The first four filibuster expeditions to Cuba from the United States were organized by General Narciso Lopez between 1849 and

1. Enrique Collazo, Cuba lnrhpendiente (Santiago de Cuba, 1981), 46-49; Horatio S. Rubens, Liberty: The Story of Cuba (New Yor~ 1932), 70-74; "Los Tres Vapores," Patria (New York), 19 January 1895, 1; Willis Fletcher Johnson, The History of Cuba, 4 vols. (New York, 1920),4: 15; Cuba en la Mann: Enciclopedia Popular llustrada (Havana, Cuba, 1940), 630; Nydia Sarabia, "El plan de Fernandina y los espias del diablo," Anuario del Centro de EstwUos Martianns (May 1982): 200-209; Carlos Alberto Montaner, "Del Marti rebelde at antiyan­ qui," El Nuevo Herald (Miami), 21 May 1995, 22. 18 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 1851 with hundreds ofAmerican volunteers. The Cuban populace refused to. join Lopez, who was captured in Pinar del Rio and gar­ roted in 1851. United States authorities dispersed two of the expe­ ditions and put Lopez and his staff on trial in New Orleans, dis­ missing the charges after three consecutive hung juries. During the Ten Years' War (1868-1878), twenty-two filibuster expeditions (using a total of fifteen vessels) were organized by Cuban expatri­ ates in the United States. While many were successful, some ves­ sels were confiscated by the federal government for violating the Neutrality Act. In 1872, the Spanish Navy captured the gunrunner Virginius, executing Captain Joseph Fry, thirty-six crewmen, and the four Cuban rebel leaders accompanying them. Between 1879 and 1894, a number of other filibuster expeditions led by Calixto Garcia, Ramon Leocadio Bonachea, and the Sartorious brothers ended in failure. Marti took lessons from these previous experi­ ences to implement his invasion plan.2 In 1892, the thirty-nine-year-old Marti organized the Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC) in America to liberate Cuba. The PRC regrouped many leading veterans of the Ten Years' War, including renown generals Maximo GOmez and Antonio Maceo, and estab­ lished representative clubs in Cuban exile communities through­ out the United States and the Caribbean basin. Their stated goal was a "just and necessary war" to liberate Cuba. PRC clubs raised funds to finance the stages of the Fernandina Plan: chartering ves­ sels in the United States under assumed names and false pretens­ es; bribing captains and crews with one thousand dollars to divert course; and if unsuccessful in their bribes, hijacking the ships to Cuba. One ship, with Marti, Jose Maria Rodriguez, and Enrique Collazo, would retrieve General Gomez and three hundred men from the Dominican Republic, and land on Camagiiey province. A steamer with Patricio Corona would pick up the Maceo brothers, Flor Crombet, and two hundred men in Costa Rica and take them to Oriente province. The third vessel, carrying Serafin Sanchez

2. Herminio Portell Vila, Narciso Lopez y su cpoca (Havana, Cuba, 1930-1958); Robert Granville Caldwell, The Lopez Expeditions to Cuba 1848-1851 (Princeton, NJ., 1915); Vidal Morales y Morales. lniciadores y prime:ros martires de La revolu­ ciOn cubana, Vol. 2 (Havana, Cuba, 1931); Charles H. Brown, Agents ofManifest Destiny: The Lives and Times of the Filibusters (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1980); Richard H. Bradford, The Vitginius Affair (Boulder, Colo., 1980); Robert E. May, Maniftst Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America (Chapel Hill, N.C., 2002). FERNANDINA FILI8USTER FIASCO 19 and Carlos Roloff, would take 150 men, including some twenty-five or thirty cigar makers from Jacksonville and Tampa, from Key West, Florida, to Las Villas province.3 Martf first mentioned the Fernandina Plan in a September 2, 1894, letter to Serafin Sanchez: "I am preparing the vessels and the weapons." Three weeks later, he wrote to Antonio Maceo and Maximo GOmez that at the end of October "our entry will be com­ bined with all of the uprisings inside." Marti then sailed to Jacksonville on October 8 and traveled with Julio Sanguily and G. Dominguez by train to Fernandina.4 Fernandina is located thirty-five miles northeast of Jacksonville, on the northwest shore of Amelia Island, Florida's northeasternmost barrier island. The town, built in 1857 as the eastern terminus of the Florida Railroad, featured wharves along the Amelia River. The waterway was thirty feet deep around the docks, five-eighths of a mile wide, and four miles from the ocean. On the northern shore of the island, the St. Marys River empties into the mile-wide Cumberland Sound and demarcates Georgia. When Marti and his companions stepped off the train, Fernandina's unpaved streets were lined with abundant tropical foliage and numerous large Victorian frame houses for some of its two thousand inhabitants.1\ The Cubans met with conspirator Nathaniel Barnett Borden, "one of the most prominent businessmen" in Fernandina, noted for "his straight-forwardness." He was vice consul for Spain,

3. The PRC organized 126 revolutionary clubs in eighteen cities by November 1894, including sixty-two in Key West, fifteen in Tampa, six in Ocala, and one each in Gainesville, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville. Outside Florida, there were eleven in New York City, seven in Mexico, six in Philadelphia and in Jamaica, three in New Orleans, and one each in Thomasville, Ga., Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, Santo Domingo, and Panama; "Clubs Revolucionarios," Patria, 24 November 1894, 1; "Ready to Fight for Cuba," Savannah Morning News, 16 January 1895, 2; Ramon Cernuda, ed., La Gran Enciclopedia Martiana, 4: 108, 181-83, 189-98; Jose L. Franco, Antonio Maceo: Apuntes Para Uma HisWria de Su Vida, 3 vols. (Havana, Cuba, 1975), 3: 77; "Arms Consigned to Mr. Borden," (New York) Herald, 15 January 1895, 12. 4. Cernuda, La Gran Enciclopedia Martiana, 4: 76-77, 92-93, 104. 5. Federal Writers Project, Guide to Fernandina, Florida, Jacksonville Public Library, Jacksonville, Fla.; S.w. Paul to John G. Carlisle. 21 January 1895, RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, S.W. Paul, Box 360, National Archives, Washington, D.C.; "Bagged by Baltzell," F1mida Times-Union, 13 January 1895, 1; "The Filibustering Fleet," Savannah Morning News, 15 January 1895, 1. 20 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Brazil. Borden never revealed his motivation for assisting the revolution­ aries, who lodged at the Florida House Inn on Third Street, where Marti had stayed during his previous visit in February 1893. The vice-consul introduced them to the Fernandina Social Club where the visitors signed the register, a conspiratorial misstep that would later confirm to authorities their presence in town.6 The thirty-four-year-old Borden was tall, curly-haired, and wore gold-rimmed spectacles. His father, Thomas J. Borden, had been a colonel in the Sixth Mississippi Regiment during the Civil War. Nathaniel Borden attended Vanderbilt University for three years and later worked for a large lumber company in Mobile, Alabama, from 1878 to 1888. He afterward became a managing partner in the New York firm of William D. Wheelwright & Co., which led him to Fernandina. In 1892, Borden resigned and estab­ lished N.B. Borden & Co. in Fernandina, with the bookkeeping assistance of his younger brother Tom. Their company had its own warehouse and dock at the foot of Dade Street and eng-aged in the lumber, shipping, and phosphate trade to Cuba, the West Indies, the Canary Islands, and Europe.' Borden accompanied the Cubans on their October 13 return to New York, but a shortage offunds postponed the invasion plans, and he returned to Fernandina. Two weeks later, Marti asked cigar manufacturer Eduardo Hidalgo-Gato for a $5,000 loan, promising to reimburse him even if the revolution failed. In November, the projected uprising was again delayed due to a lack of rebel coordination in Cuba and a failed assassination attempt on Maceo in San Jose, Costa Rica. When the Plan de Alzamiento (or uprising plan) was completed in early December and signed by Jose Maria Rodriguez, Jose Marti, and Enrique Collazo, a coded message was sent to Cuba by secret emissary: the insurrection

6. S. W. Paul to John G. Carlisle, 21 January 1895, RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, S. W. Paul, Box 360, National Archives of the United States, Washington, D.C.; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "The Filibustering Fleet," 1. 7. Nathaniel Borden Papers, Amelia Island Museum of History, Fernandina Beach, Florida; 1895 State Census, Nassau County, Florida, Florida State Archives, Tallahassee; "Off on a Secret Cruise," (New York) Warld, 11 January 1895,2; Wendy Philcox, "The Rise and Fall ofN.B. Borden," AmeliaNfYW (sum­ mer 1993): 18-20. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 21 would begin in January, twelve days after the islanders received a final signal by telegram.8 Marti then telegraphed Borden in Fernandina indicating that he was "ready for business." On December 10, Marti registered at the St. Denis Hotel in New York City under the name "D.E. Mantell" of Central Valley. He was described as "a short, swarthy, well-dressed man." Borden arrived two days later and visited the shipping clusters around the Maritime Exchange in lower Manhattan. He inquired about a small steamship, but when none were available to suit his specifications, he turned to yacht bra­ kers.9 In mid-December, Borden charted the yacht Lagonda for $2,400 monthly on behalf of D.E. Mantell, a wealthy "English gen­ tleman about to cruise in the West Indies." He also paid $300 to insure the vessel for $30,000 with the New York Marine Underwriters. The Lagonda, owned by the Reverend William L. Moore of New York City, was "a schooner rigged wooden steam yacht of 120 tons burden." A reporter described it as a black "rak­ ish-looking craft and very trim in her rig and equipment." Its dimensions were 120 tons burden, "126 feet long, 19.5 beam and 10 feet deep, and was built in Brooklyn in 1884." The Lagonda had "compound engines with cylinders of16 and 28 inches and 16-inch stroke, capable of developing twelve and one-half knots an hour." It was docked in South Brooklyn with eleven tons ofcoal and other property belonging to Edwin Gould, son of millionaire Jay Gould, who had it chartered during the summer. Mter Gould's property was put ashore, its master, Captain Nelson offered Borden the left­ over coal for forty dollars. Borden later unsuccessfully tried to get the fuel free of charge from Gould, before buying a supply from the Communipaw Coal Company.l0 A few days after contracting the Lagonda, Borden made a bid to yacht broker M. Hubbe for the steam yacht Amadis, owned by George H. Kimball of Cleveland, Ohio. The vessel, one hundred feetin length, eighteen feet in width, and with a draft ofseven feet,

8. Cemuda, La Gran Encickpedia Martiana, 4: 104, 108, 118-20; "Bagged by Baltzell," (Jacksonville) j<7mida Times-Union, 13 January 1895, 1; Franco, Antonio Maceo, 65-67. 9. Jorge Maiiach, Marti: Apostle of Freedom (New York, 1950), 331; "Off on a Secret Cruise," World, 11 January 1895,2. 10. "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "The Fernandina Muddle," }7mida Times-Union, 14January 1895, 1. 22 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY was built the pre¥ious year at Castine, Maine. Its engine, capable of twelve knots per hour, had been salvaged from a wrecked light­ house tender. The Amadis could accommodate nineteen people, including a crew of ten. It lacked a cargo compartment, and freight "could only be carried by stowing it in the state room and on deck." Borden paid the monthly fee of $1,400 with a certified check signed by "D.E. Mantell." He claimed that Mantell was in a hurry to cruise the West Indies and proposed taking the yacht from its dock at Rockland, Maine, to Fernandina. After acquiring the two vessels, Borden sought engine-room and deck crews. He contracted the reputable Captain Griffing at Manning's Basin in South Brooklyn, without mentioning that he had already char­ tered the Lagonda. Griffing became suspicious upon hearing from Nelson that Borden had hired two crews, but Borden "explained at much length" that he had commissioned the vessels for different parties.ll Colonel Fernando Lopez de Queralta, a veteran of the Ten Years' War and leader of the Lagonda expedition, refused to sail at the last minute. Apparently feeling insecure about chartering the yacht under false pretenses, he assured Marti that he could con­ tract a ship for the overt purpose of a filibuster expedition, as he had done for former Honduran President Marco Aurelio Soto. LOpez de Queralta was the only revolutionary who declined to operate illegally. He feared being forced to remain in Cuba after disembarking or facing prosecution upon return to the United States. He insisted that Marti accompany him the next day to ¥isit a shipbroker to whom he had already revealed their plans and Marti's pseudonym. Although Marti knew that no steamer was available and that the broker had a "doubtful reputation," he erred by going with Lopez de Queralta to a supposedly secret meeting. Instead, it was in a "noisy office with a vulgar broker" who Marti later would suspect ofinforming the yacht owners. Marti credited Borden with controlling the damage, making it possible for the yachts to sail. l2 Lopez de Queralta committed another blunder when part of the expeditionary armament, kept in storage for more than a year,

11. "Offon a Secret Cruise," 2; "Held Up ByUncJe Sam," Savannah MomingNews, 16 January 1895, 8; James F. Kilbreth to John G. Carlisle, January 15, 1895, Miscellaneous Letters of the Department of State, Microcopy 179, National Archives [hereafter cited as MLDSj. 12. Cernuda, La Gran Enciclopedia Martiana, 4: 20&.13; Rubens, Liberty, 72-73. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 23 was to be sent by railroad to Borden's warehouse. He disregarded Marti's explicit orders and labeled the cargo as "military articles" in the shipping manifesto. He even forwarded ammunition crates uncovered. The railroad company refused to handle the cargo, and eleven days were lost before it was covertly sent by steamship in late December. Marti never resolved whether Lopez de Queralta behaved with "wickedness or awkwardness," but he did replace him with Serafin Sanchez.13 In the meantime, Borden left New York by train with ten crew­ men and Captain John Dahl, a friend of Captain Nelson. They were accompanied by Cuban revolutionaries Patricio Corona, whose alias was T.A. Miranda, and Manuel Mantilla, who intro­ duced himself as John Mantell, the son of D.E. Mantell. Mantilla claimed that his father was English and his mother Venezuelan and that he had attended preparatory school in Poughkeepsie. He was described by Dahl as a "dark-complexioned ... somber youth" who did not appear "the ordinary English type" but rather "looked like an Indian." Marti had known the Mantilla family since board­ ing in their Brooklyn residence inJanuary 1880. His affair with the married thirty-four-year-old Carmen Mantilla produced a daugh­ ter, Marfa, on November 28, 1880. After forty-two-year-old Manuel Mantilla died of heart disease in February 1885, Marti became a surrogate father to the seven Mantilla children. He received Carmen's approval for her oldest son to go on the filibuster mis­ sion. On December 24, Mantilla arrived with Borden and their dOlen companions in Rockland, Maine, to board the Amadis.14 When Captain Dahl and three crewmen refused to take Mantilla and Corona on the Amadis because the charter prohibit­ ed passengers, Borden replaced them with Captain David S. Weed, his mate, and a first engineer. Suspicious of the terms of agree­ ment, the new master notified the owner that the Amadis might be

13. Cemuda, La Gran Enciclopedia Martiana, 4: 190, 209-13; Rubens, Liberty, 72. 14. "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2; "Detained the Yacht Amadis," Herald, 16 January 1895, 14; "Held Up By Uncle Sam," 8; Rubens, Liberty, 71; Maria Mantilla, Certificate of Birth, Brooklyn, No. 10214, 28 November 1880; and Manuel Mantilla, Certificate of Death, in the City of New York, No. 519022, 18 February 1885, both in New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives. Marti's affirir with Carmen Mantilla is still a source of controversy. In January 1985, Maria Mantilla's son, Hollywood movie actor Cesar Romero, told this writer that he was the grand­ son ofJose Marti. a statement that he often made publicly. 24 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY used for smuggling. Kimball instructed him to follow orders but to "keep his eyes open." Mter three or four days, Borden ordered Weed to meet him in Boston with the Amadis and departed by train with the Cubans. Mantilla and Miranda continued to New York and boarded the Lagonda. 15 In Boston, Borden tried in vain to hire a steamship. He was introduced to Qiert Lootz, agent for the 484-ton steamer Baracoa. Lootz considered Borden "a most delightful gentleman-charming and attractive." The Norwegian vessel had a crew ofsixteen under Captain Solomon Clausen, a "splendid officer" who had been sail­ ing for twenty-five years. The Baracoa was "a veritable 'tramp,' both in design and equipment," with a white iron hull (red below the waterline) and capable of eleven knots an hour. The steamship had been in the fruit trade for most of the previous year, but dur­ ing the last ten weeks remained idle in Boston. The Fernandina shipper chartered the vessel for $2,375, on behalfof "Abe Moreas" of Tampa. The charter specified that for one month, starting on January 6, "the Baracoa was to run to Fernandina and there take on cargo, and go on a cruise to the West Indies." It was provided that the steamship "could go from one West Indian port to anoth­ er with 200 passengers and some machinery." Borden claimed that these would-be "laborers," accompanied by two or three fore­ men, would be working on one of the islands, although he did not specify the ports ofcall. He asked that the between-deck cargo par­ tition be left open, to facilitate sending "a load of phosphate from Florida to the West Indies and reload at some port on the islands with a cargo ofbananas."16 Borden met the Amadis when it arrived in Boston to repair its pump and replenish its coal supply. He told Captain Weed to sail to Savannah and then wire him at Fernandina for further instruc­ tions. Meanwhile, the Lagondasailed from New York onJanuary 1, 1895, under the stipulation that Captain Griffing was to "take no cargo" and "allow no one on board who was not either personally known to him or vouched for by proper credentials, and under no

15. "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2; "Took Arms By Thousands," Flmida Times-Union 16January 1895, 1; "Held Up By Unde Sam," 8. 16. "Lagonda Under Seizure," World, 13 January 1895, 1; "On a Filibustering Expedition," Herald, 13January 1895, 11; "Made Rev. Mr. Moore Mad," Flrnida Times-Union, 20 January 1895, 8; "The Fernandina Muddle," 1; "Held Up By Uncle Sam," 8. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 25 circumstances to take the yacht out from any port at night." Upon the first sign of trouble, he was to head for the nearest port and seek the protection of the Collector ofCustoms. Upon departure, the Lagonda damaged its stem on some wreckage at Long Branch and had to return for repairs. Three days later, it started again for Fernandina to take on coal and storesP Mter the yacht set sail, rumors on the New York waterfront of its destination reached a reporter for World, the sensationalist yel­ lowjournal edited byJoseph Pulitzer. The reporter questioned M. Hubbe, the broker for the Amadis, who voiced his suspicions with one word: "filibusters." Another intrigue started by a stevedore weeks earlier was that "on some steamship bound south there were shipped $30,000 worth ofsmall arms." Reportedly, it was a Mallory line steamer that docked in Fernandina around Christmas time with a prepaid consignment for Borden, who was still in Boston. The cases were marked with only "a carelessly made cross in black marking ink."18 OnJanuary 7, 1895, editors at World telegraphed TA Hall, its correspondent in Fernandina, asking that he look out for the Lagonda and the Amadis, "suspicious crafts" which had departed three days earlier. Hall, a county judge and newspaper editor, immediately showed the dispatch to George L. Baltzell, the Collector of Customs who had been appointed to the $500-a-year post five months earlier. Two days later, the Lagonda arrived at Borden's wharf. Mantilla and Corona "proceeded to make them­ selves agreeable to the prominent people of Fernandina. They were soon favorites in the town, spent money freely and numerous cold bottles were opened at their expense." Mantilla was described as "a young smooth-faced handsome gentleman. He dresses neatly and speaks English with a very slight foreign accent." The reckless behavior of the foreigners threatened the clandestine purpose of their mission.19

17. "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "Took Arms By Thousands," L 18. "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2; "Anns Consigned to Mr. Borden," Herald, 15 January 1895, 12. 19. G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895, MLDS; "Roster of the Employees of the Custom House-Port of Fernandina," 7 April 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sent 1891-1912, Fernandina, Fla., entry 1497, National Archives; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "Borden's Smile is Broad," Ftt:nida Times-Union, 18January 1895,1. 26 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY On the following day, the 10th, New York City infonnantJames Batewell wrote to John G. Carlisle, the Secretary of the Treasury in Washington, D.C., that the Lagonda and Amadiswere on "a filibuster­ ing expedition." He indicated that one vessel carried "a number of fishennen's dories" exclusively for "landing a large number of men on the coast of whatever country the expedition is intended for." Batewell added that "both yachts have a supply of coal on board for a long voyage and their movements and arrangements have been made with the greatest secrecy. They were both chartered by the one man, so it is no pleasure trip." Although the infonnant requested that his name "be kept secret for my own protection," he still claimed "the proportion of the award in case of confiscation which is allowed by our Government in such cases." The next day, Batewell wrote again, enclosing an article from New York's World and asking that his "claim for reward be recognized ifthe yachts or arms and ammuni­ tion or other property of the expedition be confiscated."20 Marti, still in New York making last minute preparations, became alarmed onJanuary 11 when he read a lengthy article in World entitled "Offon a Secret Cruise" and subheaded "Insurance Companies Cancel the Policies on Both Yachts-Old Salts Think They Are Off to Filibuster or Smuggle." The newspaper detailed all of Borden's suspi­ cious activities during the previous month, concluding that "the gen­ eral opinion is that the yachts are bound either to Hayti, Honduras, or Nicaragua." When rumors reached the companies that had insured both vessels, "it was this, with the fear that something was irregular in the cruise of the two that led them to cancel the policies" and notifY the owners. One writer for World stated that Rev. Moore "has telegraphed to Fernandina to Capt. Griffing, ofthe Lagonda, to return to this port upon the first suspicious actions of the charterers."21 Kimball, owner of the Amadis, was also startled by the recent turn of events. He wired inquiries to Fernandina and Savannah, but was told that his yacht had not appeared. Kimball sent addi­ tional advices to Captain Weed at both ports to seek government protection in case of danger. He then departed for Boston, not knowing that the Amadis had just left Norfolk, Virginia, after tak­ ing on water, and was headed for Savannah.22

20. James Batewell to Secretary of the Treasury, 10 January, 11 January 1895, MLDS. 21. Maiiach, Marli, 334; "Off on a Secret Cruise," 2. 22. .. Lagonda was Searched,ff World, 12 January 1895, 12; "Detained the Yacht Amadis," Herald, 16 January 1895, 14. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 27 In the meantime in Fernandina, an argument erupted between Borden and the captain of the Lagonda, who had changed the yacht's destination to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. This violated the charter, and while it would not have invalidated the insurance, it would have impaired any claim for damages. Borden wired the Lagtmtln-'s owner: "Griffing refuses to sail until second payment and insurance are paid, neither ofwhich is due according to charter party. Crew paid Jan. 1. Will hold you responsible for all damages caused by delay." And Borden's problems seemed to compound. Collector Baltzell, accom­ panied by Hall, clambered aboard the Lagonda later that day. Mantilla introduced himself as John Mantell, whose father had char­ tered the yacht. Borden invited the visitors on a two-hour trip up the St. Mary's River to take on a supply offresh water and wash out the boilers. While Baltzell and Hall found nothing peculiar during the journey, upon returning to Fernandina, Hall received another telegram from editors at World, insisting that he watch the "very sus­ picious" Lagrmda. When Baltzell read it, he immediately wired Captain Rogers, of the Revenue Cutter Boutwellin Savannah, request­ ing his urgent presence.23 Rogers replied on the 11th that his vessel, laid up for repairs since October, was disabled and suggested that Hall telegraph the Treasury Department for the cutter Merrill That morning, the Rev. Moore sent a telegram to Captain Griffing, ordering him to remain at Fernandina until the charter expired onJanuary 18th or until Borden produced "a bona fide insurance policy." Borden replied with an offer from the charterer to buy the yacht ifallowed to proceed to sea, which Moore rejected. Griffing then visited Collector Baltzell, voluntarily surrendered his sailing papers, "reported that a number of suspicious boxes had been put on the yacht the night before and asked ifany suspicions had been direct­ ed towards the yacht." At noon, Baltzell sent his Deputy Collector, fifty-seven-year-old W.B.C. Duryee, to board the Lagonda at Borden's wharf. The deputy noticed "twenty or more cases ofmer­ chandise of suspicious nature" below deck, but Borden refused to let him examine the contents. This violated the terms of the char­

23. G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895; "Lagonda Was Searched," 12; "Lagonda Under Seizure," World, 13 January 1895, 1; C.A. Macatee to John G. Carlisle, 30 October 1894, RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, C.A. Macatee, box 305, National Archives. 28 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARn:RLY ter, which explicitly stipulated that "no cargo should be taken aboard." When Duryee reported back, Baltzell quickly adminis­ tered the oath of office of Special Inspector of Customs to thirty­ five-year-old C.B. Higginbotham, the local deputy sheriff. Higginbotham, "a stout man, with a red mustache and dressed much like a farmer," was assigned to a permanent watch of the yacht and to prevent anyone boarding without the Collector's per­ mISSIon. Baltzell hesitated to proceed in an official manner because Captain Griffing had voluntarily delivered his sailing papers, and instead wired Treasury Secretary Carlisle for instruc­ tions. Before replying, Scott Wike, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, sent a copy of Baltzell's telegram to Secretary of State Walter Q. Gresham, asking for suggestions on proper procedure.24 The next morning, Saturday the 12th, Baltzell received an answer from Wike, indicating that the Lagonda case had been report­ ed to Secretary of State Gresham. Another message indicated that the Treasury Department was expecting a report from the New York Collector regarding the yachts. Yet a third telegram, sent by the Treasury Department to Baltzell that morning, advised him to "take action accordingly, report fully and immediately what further suspi­ cious circumstances attach to the vessel." The Western Union mes­ senger boy, either by accident or design, delivered this last note to Borden instead of the Collector. Borden alleged not to have seen to whom it was addressed when he opened it and, before rerouting the message to the Collector, he returned to the Lagonda with Mantilla. Captain Griffing watched as the crates on board were opened and a few containing guns and cartridges were hastily thrown overboard by orders of Mantilla. The Cuban youth probably reacted in panic, since it would have been safer and less costly to return the crates to Borden's warehouse.25 Meanwhile, the Lagonda's owner met with James F. Kilbreth, the Collector ofCustoms of the Port ofNew York. Rev. Moore stat­

24. G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895; S.W. Paul to John G. Carlisle, 21 January 1895; Oath of Otlice, C.B. Higginbotham, 11 January 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Received 1890-1906, Entry 1498, National Archives; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; "The Femandina Muddle,"l; George L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 11 January 1895, MLDS; S. Wike to Secretary of State, 11 January 1895, MLDS. 25. S. Wike to Collector of Customs, 12 January 1895, MLDS; G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895; "A Cuban Expedition," Charleston (S.C.) News & Courier, 13January 1895,1; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "Took Arms By Thousands," 1. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 29 ed that "he chartered his vessel according to law and subsequently learned from the master thereof that the person who chartered her was not acting in good faith and had attempted to take the ves­ sel to Costa Rica." Kilbreth advised Moore to revoke the charter and inform "the Collector of Customs at Fernandina to detain the Lagonda under sections 5289 and 5290," Title LXVII, Article 136, of the Revised Statutes of the United States, which Moore did, instructing Baltzell by telegram at noon to detain the Lagondawith­ out bond, because the charter had been violated and canceled. Baltzell immediately wired Treasury Secretary Carlisle for instruc­ tions and sent his Deputy Collector, j.W. Howell, a fifty-year-old lumber merchant, to search the Lagonda. Howell returned two hours later, reporting that the crates on board contained used knapsacks, canteens, and belts which could be used for the planta­ tion purposes alleged by MantilIa.26 While Baltzell conferred with his deputy, thirty-three-year-old railroad agent E.D. Lukenbille entered the Customs office accom­ panied by Mrican-American stevedores William j. Ray, Ranaldo McDonald, Samuel Cribb, James F. Christopher, and brothers Edgar and Rufus Johnson. They carried "two large heavily strapped boxes, 5 feet long and 12 by 18 inches square at the ends" containing thirty machetes (manufactured by Collins & Co. of Hartford, Connecticut), ninety-six haversacks, and six can­ teens, which they had found floating on the Amelia River. This prompted Baltzell to board the Lagonda at 5:00 p.m., confiscate the cartridge boxes on board, and seize the vessel under the legal statutes quoted by the New York Collector. When the Cubans refused to open their luggage trunks for inspection, Baltzell had

26. Sections 5289 and 5290, Title LXVII, Article 136, of the Revised Statutes of the United States, read '"The several collectors ofthe customs shall detain any vessel manifestly built for warlike purposes and about to depart the United States, the cargo ofwhich principally consists of arms and munitions of war, when the number of the men shipped on board, or other circumstances ren­ der it provable that such vessel is intended to be employed by the owner to cruise or to commit hostilities upon the subjects, citizens or property of any foreign prince or state of any colony, district or people, with whom the United States are at peace, until the decision of the president is had thereon, or until the owner gives such bond and security as is required of owners of armed vessels by the previous section"; quoted in "The Fernandina Muddle," 1; James F. Kilbreth to John G. Carlisle, 15January 1895, MLDS; G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1. 30 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY them broken open and confiscated some letters in Spanish. The collector then ordered Captain Griffing, Mantilla, Corona and the crew to remain on board until further notice. Mantilla became "considerably agitated," insisting that he had not violated the law and that the arms were needed on his father's plantation due to the unsettled state ofCosta Rica. Baltzell then wired Frank Clark, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, requesting to see him at once. He also notified Treasury Secretary Carlisle that he had "taken charge of the yacht Lagonda" after examining its cargo, found "private telegrams [that] indicate that the yacht has or is about to eng-age in some kind ofsuspicious traf­ fie," and requested further instructions. A Jacksonville Florida Times-Union reporter heard rumors that the "arms were intended for the Cuban patriots."27 That evening, a Treasury Department telegram was received in the Savannah Office of Special Agent Charles A. Macatee ordering detention of the Amadis by the Collector of Customs, Captain J.H. Rodgers of the Revenue Cutter Boutwell, and Captain Laird, the boarding officer on duty at the Barge Office. The next day, the Savannah Morning News announced that "The expedition is supposed to be under the direction of Marti, the Cuban patriot.»28 On Sunday, January 13th, at 7:00 a.m., the steamer Baracoa arrived at Fernandina after a six-day voyage from Boston. The assistant state health officer, thirty-seven-year-old Dr. J.L. Horsey, boarded the ship and gave it a clean bill of health. Baltzell and his deputy then gave it a thorough examination but found only water ballast and sea stores. The commotion alarmed Captain Clausen, however, who "became suspicious and wired the charterer, A. de Moraes, at Tampa, for orders. The telegraph company sent back word that no such person could be found." Clausen then told

27. C.L. Baltzell to James McKay, 26 February, 6 March 1895, RC 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sem 1891-1912, Fernandina, Fla., entry 1497, National Archives; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; C.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 12 January, 19 January, 1895; "Lagonda Under Seizure," 1; "Steam Yacht Lagonda Seized,~ (New York) Sun, 13 January 1895, 4; "Bagged by Baltzell," 1; "The Fernandina Muddle," 1; "Borden's Smile is Broad," l. 28. C.A. Macatee toJohn C. Carlisle, 14January 1895, RC 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, C.A. Macatee, box 305, National Archives; "Filibusters in Florida," Savannah Mmning News, 13 January 1895, 1; "No News of the Amadis," Savannah MmningNews, l4January 1895,8. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 31 Borden that he would inspect all cargo to be boarded, and "Borden grew alarmed, and offered to cancel the charter."29 That morning, accompanied by Deputy CollectorJ. W. Howell, Mantilla and Corona left Fernandina with their baggage on the first available train, "saying that they were going to Jacksonville to settle the matter up," and would return the next day. Mantilla told a local reporter that "all the cavalry equipments on the yacht were for use on his father's plantation in Costa Rica, the sabers being used to cut cane and other growing crops." He threatened to "sue the newspapers and to make a claim against the United States gov­ ernment for big damages." The Cubans registered at the Hotel Placide on Main Street under their pseudonyms and spent all afternoon conferring with an attorney. The newly redecorated five-story Placide advertised a modem elevator, "superior cuisine and service," and rooms for "$2.50 to $3.50 per day." By 4:00 p.m., Mantilla and Corona were again on the move, telling Howell that they were returning to Fernandina. Instead, they were hidden by Charlie Hernandez in the home of Cuban exileJoseph A. Huau, a cigar manufacturer in Jacksonville for over twenty years. (Two days later, they clandestinely left for New York). 30

29. Coastwise Vessels Entered,January 1895, RC 36, Bureau of Customs, Record of Entrances and Clearances 1894-1902, Fernandina, Florida, National Archives; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; C.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895; "Baracoa Back in New York: World, 21 January 1895, 5; C.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 13 January 1895, MLDS; "The Fernandina Muddle," 1. 30. Charlie Hernandez was "the son of a wealthy man who had given all he pos­ sessed to the cause of Cuba during the Ten Years' War." He "had been edu­ cated in Brockton, Massachusetts, and there acquired many New England qualities, thoughts and habits. He had repeatedly proved his worth to Marti as a confidential messenger." Joseph A. Huau was educated in the U.s. dur­ ing the 1860s, before returning to Cuba in 1868. His father, Dr. Jose Hipolito Huau Cadarette, had been the surgeon-general of the Spanish army in Cuba. In January 1869, Huau and his brother-in-law Henry Fritot were imprisoned in the Morro Castle at Havana for being implicated in the Ten Years' War. His father joined them in exile after he secured their release that year; Rubens, Liberty, 71, 73, 142; "The Fernandina Muddle," I; "Hotel Arrivals," Florida Times-Union, 14January 1895, 5; "All Filled With Arms," Florida Times-Union, 15 January 895, 1; «Hotel Placide" advertisement, Florida Times-Union, 5 November 1890, 2; "Hotel Placide" advertisement, Florida Times-Union, 15 January 1895, 3; "Took Arms By Thousands," 1; "Miranda and Mantell," Florida Times-Union, 17 January 1895, 2; "Arms Consigned to Mr. Borden," Herald, 15 January 1895, 12; Webb's Jacksonville Directory, 1876-77 (New York, 1876),94-95. 32 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Two U.S. deputy marshals were out "unusually late" that night looking for the fugitives and watched the Huau residence for two days. Huau told a Jacksonville newspaper reporter, "my sympa­ thies are with the Patriots, but my firm conviction is that annexa­ tion to the United States is the only solution of the Cuban ques­ tion." The journalist mingled with a group of Cubans who were "discussing the matter in Spanish on one of the street corners." One cursed, "The traitor ofFernandina, may lightning strike him." A veteran of the Ten Years' War exaggerated to the reporter that they still had "$500,000" in the revolutionary treasury "sufficient to arm 50,000 men." He bragged that "As Uncle Sam has captured one yacht how many do you think have gotten through and how many more do you think will get through?" Other imprudent cigar makers boasted that "they had known all about this move­ ment for the past six weeks," and that Marti had been secreted in Savannah, expecting to board the Amadis in disguise, but was now "in closer hiding." In fact, Marti had recently arrived in Jacksonville and checked into the Travellers Hotel under an assumed name. There, he summoned expedition leaders Enrique Collazo,Jose Maria Rodriguez, and Lopez de Queralta. They were joined by Enrique Loynaz and Tomas Collazo. Marti incessantly paced the room while repeatedly blaming Lopez de Queralta for the fiasco. The group exempted Marti from fault, who then wired Gonzalo de Quesada in New York to bring him the last $1,500 of the revolutionary funds. Attorney Horatio Rubens, who served as general counsel for the PRC, was instructed to gather information at Fernandina, choose a course of action, and report to Marti at Jacksonville. The twenty-five-year-old Jewish New Yorker had received a law degree in 1891 from Columbia University, where he had been a classmate of Quesada.31 Pulitzer's World boasted that due to their "exclusive st01Y," the Department of the Treasury had taken "a most active interest" in the afiair. It proudly alleged that "Acting entirely on The World's information, the department telegraphed instructions to the spe­ cial inspectors at Fernandina and Savannah to co-operate with the Collectors of Customs and to investigate both of the yachts." The yellowjournal also indicated that "Mr. Moore thanked The World for saving his yacht, and said that if it had not been for the exdu­

31. "Arms for an Army," World, 15 January 1895, 3; "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Took Arms by Thousands," 1; Rubens, Liberty, 30, 71-72. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 33 sive publication the craft would never have been heard from again." Kimball, the owner of the Amadis, had been reading the newspaper accounts in Boston and, on January 13th, anxiously wired Captain Weed at Savannah: "Don't leave port until further advice."32 Later that day, Captain Griffing appeared before Batzell and "stated that he had a confession to make and that he wished to make it in the presence of Mr. Borden." When Borden was con­ fronted with Griffing's account ofjettisoning the crated weapons the previous day, he confessed. Baltzell immediately contacted the Treasury Department, adding that he had found nothing suspi­ cious on the Baracoa, but was watching it closely. He then wired Treasury Department Special Agent S.W. Paul, in charge of the 8th District in Tampa, to proceed to Fernandina. That evening, Major John W. Anderson, Special Inspector of the Treasury Department inJacksonville, arrived in Fernandina and advised Baltzell to seize all the suspicious crates consigned to the Lagonda. When told that Mantilla and Corona had left for Jacksonville, he immediately wired U.S. Marshal McKay to arrest them.33 The next day, Monday the 14th, theJacksonville Florida Times­ UnUm reported that 'jose Marti, the Cuban revolutionist lecturer, has recently visited every place in this country where there is a Cuban society or club, and delivered addresses calculated to stir up the patriotism ofhis countrymen, has given rise to the reports that the arms found on board the Lagonda was to be taken to the Cuban patriots." The peppery New York Herald, published by the cynic expatriateJames Gordon Bennett, also implicated the Cuban leader in the affair, while World published a sketch of Marti, spec­ ulating that he was D.E. Mantell and that he "had gone to Florida some weeks ago." The publicity prompted the Spanish Minister in Washington, Emilio de Muruaga, to identifY Mantell as "the son of Cuban agitator Marti," and officially requested that the United States government investigate the matter.34

32. "Lagtmda Under Seizure," 1; "Held Up By Uncle Sam; 8. 33. S.W. Paul to John G. Carlisle, 21 January 1895, RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Report~ and Correspondence 1865-1915, S.W. Paul, Box 360, National Archives; "Arms Consigned to Mr. Borden," 12; "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Took Arms by Thousands," L 34. "The Fernandina Muddle," 1; "The Mysterious Fleet," World, 14January 1895, 3; "Still Holding the Lagonda," 4; "Released the Amadis," Herald, 17 January 1895,5. 34 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY That same morning, Baltzell and Anderson proceeded to the waterfront office of N.B. Borden & Co. They asked the clerk for the keys to the adjoining warehouse, but he refused to comply until Borden was summoned. Anderson then informed Borden that "he had reason to believe that cases were stored in the ware­ house which were similar to those found in the yacht." According to Anderson, Borden "appeared very much 'rattled,' in fact very much as if a dynamite bomb had been exploded under him." Mter regaining his composure, Borden promised to attend to the request as soon as he saw a party off at the trainjust then. He later returnedwith an attorney from Baker & Drew, the most prominent law firm in Fernandina.35 In the warehouse, the federal officers seized 140 crates con­ taining "27 cases rifles; 9 boxes center fire caps; 5 boxes revolvers; 76 cases cartridges; 2 cases canteens; 4 cases rubber blankets; 1 case cartridges E.F. #2; 1 case leather belts; 7 cases sacks and belts; 18 cases sabers or cutlasses." Among the weapons were "One hun­ dred Winchester rifles, 200 Remington rifles and 100 Colts' revolvers." The largest lot of rifles had been shipped "directly from the factory of the Remington Arms Company at Ilion, N.Y." Total value of the seizure was estimated by some "at about $25,000 and others as high as $40,000." Borden pretended to be "very much amused and surprised at the discovery that the boxes con­ tained arms." Baltzell assigned two hastily appointed special inspectors,John Cone, a thirty-four-year-old lumber inspector, and W.B. Smith, a forty-four-year-old with no occupation, as permanent guards at the warehouse. A few of the crates were transferred to the Custom House. Suspecting that these weapons were intended for the Baracoa, Baltzell wired the Treasury Department of his seizure and requested advise on what to do with the Baracoa. 36 The Collector received a reply telegram from e.S. Hamlin, Acting Secretary of the Treasury, ordering him to report the case

35. "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Took Arms by Thousands," I. 36. G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895, MLDS; "The Filibustering Fleet," Savannah Morning News, 15 January 1895, 1; "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Arms Consigned to Mr. Borden," 12; "Borden & Co. Had Arms," Sun, 15 January 1895, 1; "The Lagonda Still Detained," New York Times, 15 January 1895, 6; 1895 State Census, Nassau County; G.L. Baltzell to John Cone and W.B. Smith, 11 Februarv 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sent 1891-1912, Fernandina, Fla.; entry 1497, National Archives; and G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 14January 1895, MLDS. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 35 to the local U.S. Attorney. Hamlin simultaneously reported the matter to the Attorney General and a"ked Secretary ofState Walter Q. Gresham whether he desired that the Lagonda "be seized or longer detained." Gresham quickly answered Hamlin that the Department of State was "without information that would justify it in asking that the yacht Lagonda be longer detained." Baltzell then had the Amelia River dragged around the Lagonda on the after­ noon of the 14th. The U.S. District Attorney in Jacksonville arrived in Fernandina that evening, inspected the weapons in Borden's warehouse, and took charge of the case before returning home that night.37 Meanwhi1e, heavy gales on the 14th forced the Amadis to stop at Morehead City, North Carolina, where a close observation by journalists "failed to disclose arms or cargo." Its owner, Kimball, wired Borden of the vessel's location. Borden replied that after­ noon that since he "was unable to hear from Mr. Mantell or know of his whereabouts, that he would order the Amadis back to her home port" and cancel the charter. The next day, when the vessel arrived at Tybee Island, Georgia, via the intra-coastal waterway, it was immediately seized by Boarding Officer T.H. Laird. Customs Collector J .F.B. Beckwith ordered the Amadis up the Savannah River to moor next to the revenue cutter Boutwell at the Montgomery Street wharf, placing it under the custody of Captain J,H. Rogers. A thorough examination of every compartment by Beckwith and Treasury Special Agent Macatee revealed only its coal stored in bags on the deck. Captain Weed informed the authorities that his instructions at Boston were to sail to Savannah and then wire Borden at Fernandina. He did not know the pur­ pose of the charter or its destination, "but supposed it was intend­ ed as a pleasure cruise." Weed received two telegrams from Kimball that awaited his arrival and showed them to the Collector of Customs and a Savannah Morning News reporter. One, sent ear­ lier that day from Boston, stated in part: "Charter forfeited, return immediately. Retain charters' property." Weed decided not to wire Borden after reading newspaper accounts of the previous three days regarding the seizure of the Lagonda and the weapons

37. C.S. Hamlin to Attorney General, 14 January 1895, MLDS; C.S. Hamlin to Secretary of State, 14January 1895. MLDS; W.Q. Gresham to C.S. Hamlin, 14 January 1895, MLDS; "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Bad for Broker Borden," Flarida Times-Union, 24January 1895, 2. 36 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY at Fernandina. Macatee wired the Secretary ofthe Treasury at 8: 16 p.m. to report the detention of the empty Amadis and its charter forfeiture, and requested instructions.38 Rumors that the Amadis was taking a revolutionary expedition to Costa Rica led that government to send troops from SanJose to Puerto Limon onJanuary 15th. As a result, Cuban exiles in Puerto Limon indiscreetly announced that the "expedition organized in Florida was against Spanish rule in Cuba." InJacksonville, Cubans were "greatly excited over the seizures at Fernandina, and believe that the arms were intended for co-patriots." A World reporter claimed that Marti was known to have been at both Jacksonville and Fernandina during the past week. On the 15th, Rubens and Quesada arrived at Fernandina from New York and made legal inquiries. As they were boarding the train for Jacksonville that evening to meet Marti, Borden urged Rubens not to leave because Treasury Special Agent S.W. Paul had just arrived. The attorney reassured Borden that since "some special agents were not special­ ly intelligent, and, so long as he gave no information, he would be safe." Rubens and Quesada met with Marti and the expedition leaders in the Travellers Hotel where the PRe's legal counsel assured them that the confiscated weapons could be recuperated since "Mere purchase, possession, or even shipment, of arms was not illegal at that time." Mter an hour-long meeting, there was a consensus to renew their efforts to make the revolution successful. Rubens accompanied Marti, Quesada, and Rodriguez on the train back to New York, while the other Cuban conspirators went to Tampa and Key West. 39 On the 15th, Baltzell replied to a telegram he received from the owner of the Lagonda, requesting the release of his vessel to him personally. The Customs Agent asked Rev. Moore to travel to Fernandina so that they could consult on the matter. He then wired U.S. District Attorney Frank Clark, asking if he should detain

38. "TIlat Filibustering Yacht," Charleston News & Courier, 15 January 1895, 1; "Arms for an Army," 3; "All Filled With Arms," 1; "Took Arms By Thousands," 1; "Held Up By Uncle Sam," 8; C.A. Macatee toJohn G. Carlisle, 16January 1895; C.A. M:acatee to Secy. Treasury, Western Union Telegram, 15 January 1895, RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, C. A. Macatee, box 305, National Archives; "Detained the Yacht Amadis," 14; "The Amadis in Port," Chamston News & Courier, 16January 1895, 1. 39. "No Owner for the l<1eet," World, 16 January 1895, 14; "]n and About the Town," Florida Times-Union, 16January 1895, 8; Rubens, Liberty, 72-73,141. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 37 the Baracoa after its charter had been canceled and its captain had requested permission to sail. Clark responded the following morn­ ing, authorizing the release of the Baracoa but not the Lagonda. Baltzell then cleared the Baracoa, which immediately departed. When the steamer arrived in New York five days later, World called it "the troopship ofD.E. Mantell's disorganized navy."40 On the morning ofthe 16th, the Savannah Collector informed the Treasury Department that nothing was found on the Amadis "contrary to law or that would indicate a violation of the neutrality laws." Beckwith added that the charter had been canceled, its cap­ tain had been instructed to return to New York, and he requested procedural instructions. Acting Secretary Hamlin replied that the facts did not warrant detaining the Amadis and advised the Collector to "Act accordingly and report." As a result, the Amadis was released that evening. Captain Weed stated that he would remain a day or two in Savannah until he could "coal and get in good sea going condition."41 That same evening, Treasury Special Agent Paul discussed the situation with Baltzell, who then wired the U.S. District Attorney asking if he proposed taking any further steps regard­ ing the Fernandina seizures. Clark replied on the 17th that he had fully studied the law and would not proceed against the Lagonda and the arms unless the Collector of Customs had fur­ ther evidence. Baltzell and Paul went by train to Jacksonville and consulted with Clark and Rev. Moore, who had just arrived from New York and registered at the Carleton Hotel. The U.S. District Attorney ordered Baltzell to release the Lagonda but to hold the weapons until further notice. The Collector of Customs spent the night at his father-in-Ia~'s house and, the next day, had breakfast at the Carleton with Moore. They both then traveled to Fernandina on the 11:00 a.m. train. Baltzell dis­

40. G.L. Baltzell to Secretary ofthe Treasury, 19 January 1895, MLDS; "End ofthe Filibuster Scare," Savannah Morning News, 17 January 1895, 1; "The Florida Filibusters," Charleston News & Courier, 18 January 1895, 2; "Baracaa Back in New York," World, 21 January 1895, 5. 41. J.F.B. Beckwith to Secretary of the Treasury, 16 January 1895, MLDS; C.S. Hamlin to Collector Customs, 16 January 1895, MLDS;J.F.B. Beckwith to J.G. Carlisle, 17 January 1895, MLDS; 'The Arnadis Released," Savannah Morning News, 17January 1895, 8; ''Yacht Arnadis Released," World, 17January 1895, 3; "Released the Arnadis," Herald, 17January 1895, 5; "The Arnadis Released," Sun, 17January 1895, 7; "The Arnadis," F7hrida Times-Union, 17 January 1895, 2. 38 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY missed his deputy inspector from the Lagonda, since the Mantell charter expired that day, and returned the yacht's papers to Captain Griffing who turned over to Baltzell three Remington carbines and four boxes of damaged cartridges "which he stated he had recovered from the bottom of the Amelia River at Fernandina." Four other Remington carbines were pulled out of the river a week later by Captain T.J. Wasson, of the schooner RB. Homan. The Lagonda's owner satisfactorily settled the char­ ter with Borden before sailing with the Lagonda for Jacksonville in the afternoon. As they left port a salute was fired. The Lagonda docked at Clark's wharf on Washington Street, where crowds ofJacksonville citizens gathered to see it. Sympathy for the filibusters was expressed byJohn A. MacDonald who wrote to the Florida Times-Union that "The only wonder is that one hun­ dred thousand young Americans do not join the Cubans and in defiance of customs and cussedness go over to Cuba and help this brave people to secure their liberty."42 The Spanish consul in Savannah, Narciso Perez Petinto, trav­ eled to Fernandina on January 22nd under orders from the Spanish Minister at Washington, D.C., to investigate Borden's role in the conspiracy. Borden "refused absolutely to discuss the mat­ ter with him," and as a result was replaced as Spanish vice consul by R.s. Schuyler of Fernandina. Three days later, District Attorney Clark said that "nothing more would be done by the government in regard to the affair," and ordered Collector Baltzell to release the weapons to Borden, including those taken from the river. The next day, the 26th, the Jacksonville law firm Cooper & Cooper filed a federal court claim on behalf of the owner of the Amadis "for damages for violation of contract" and requested "writs of attachment against the arms in Mr. Borden's

42. Coastwise Vessels Cleared, January 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Record of Entrances and Clearances 1894-1902, Fernandina, Florida, National Archives; G,L. Baltzell to James McKay, 26 February 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sent 1891-1912, Fernandina, Fla., entry 1497, National Archives; G.L. Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895, MLDS; "In and About Town," Florida Times-Union, 16 January 1895, 8; "Borden's Smile is Broad," 1; "A Voice for Cuba; Fllnida Times-Union, 18January 1895, 4; "Let Loose the Lagonda," Flurida Times-Union, 19 January 1895, 2; "A Gospel Ship, not a Filibuster," Charleston News & Courier, 19 January 1895, 1; "Parson Moore as Close as a Clam," Charleston News & Courier, 20 January 1895, 2; "Release of the Lagonda," Savannah Morning News, 19 January 1895, 1; "Lagonda atJacksonville," Charleston News & Courier, January 20, 1895, 1. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 39 warehouse." Kimball claimed that he and crew were still owed money by Borden.43 Attorney Rubens returned to Fernandina a few days later by train with Quesada, who continued on to Tampa with the orders for the insurrection, signed on January 29th by the revolutionary leaders. Rubens was going to settle the lawsuit pending against Borden by the owner of the Amadis and try to recuperate the expedition weapons. Borden took inventory of the crates in his warehouse and reported to Baltzell the disappearance of three small boxes ofcartridges, three Colt revolvers, and five Winchester rifles. The Collector questioned the watchmen he had placed in the warehouse, and they gave sworn statements that "they kept close and careful watch and nothing was taken from the warehouse during the time they were in charge."44 A month later, Consul Schuyler reported to the Spanish Minister in Washington that the rebel arms had been returned to Borden after he had denied under oath that the arms were the property of Mantell, and Rubens had "offered an agreed amount in settlement" to Kimball's attorney. Rubens shipped the crates by railroad under his own name to a stable in Philadelphia, until the next opportunity to smuggle them into Cuba. Gomez, Marti, and Maceo disembarked in Cuba after the general uprising occurred on February 24th where the latter two later perished on the bat­ tlefield.45

43. "The Amadis Released," 8; "Borden Bounced," Savannah Mrrming News, 24 January 1895, 2; "Removed by Senor Petinto," Savannah Mrrming News, 25 January 1895, 3; "Anns of the Lagonda," Savannah Mrrming News, 26 January 1895, 5; "N.B. Borden in Town," Florida Times-Union, 23 January 1895, 8; "Borden and His Guns," Savannah Mrrming News, 26January 1895, 5. 44. Rubens, Liberty, 141; G.L. Baltzell toJohn Cone and W.E. Smith, 11 February 1895; and G.L. Baltzell to N.B. Borden, 14 February 1985, both in RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sent 1891·1912, Fernandina, Fla., entry 1497, National Archives. 45. The Fernandina weapons were secretly forwarded from Philadelphia to Wilmington, Del., in September 1895. The cargo was ag'ain captured by fed­ eral authorities during a failed filibuster expedition attempt. Spanish Minister Muruaga was forced to renounce his post on 14 March 1895, after publicly criticizing Secretary Gresham over the Allianca affair; Rubens, Liberty, 141,174; E. de Muruaga to W.Q. Gresham, 11 March 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Received, 1890-1906, entry 1498, National Archives; "Senor Muruaga Must Go," New York Times, 21 March 1895, 1; "Muruaga Prepared to Go," New York Times, 22 March 1895, 1. 40 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Although the Fernandina Plan was dismembered mostly by the efforts of Baltzell, he did not receive any special official recognition. To the contrary, Special Agent Paul sent a scathing report to the Secretary of the Treasury onJanuary 21st, denouncing the "inexcus­ able delay on the part of the Collector in reporting this case and, in view of his acknowledged ignorance on how to act, in not seeking the aid and advice of the officers of the Government near him." Paul blamed Baltzell for moving too slowly in the seizure of the Lagonda and the weapons, and for allowing Mantilla and Corona to escape, therefore failing to discover the destination of the expedition. Paul doubted that this was "a full-fledged expedition" against Cuba and believed that Marti "was interested in it to the extent that he desires to show to the Cubans in this country, who had contributed to the revolutionary fund that he had collected, that he was trying to do something." Paul may have been unfairly demeaning Baltzell due to previous animosities. When the Treasury Department had asked Paul in November 1894 to justify the necessity ofBaltzell's request for a new $75 boarding boat, Paul rejected it by claiming that the old one was "both suitable and convenient." Six months after the Fernandina incident, Baltzell was still trying to get government reimbursement for $5.02 that he spent sending official telegrams.46 In June 1895, Baltzell received a circular from the Treasury Department relative to the enforcement of the Neutrality Law. He assured the Commissioner ofCustoms onJune 13, 1895, that "this law, so far as lays in my power, will be strictly enforced." The same day, Baltzell informed the Secretary of the Treasury: "I deem it my duty, in view of the fact that there are or will be, filibustering expeditions from this port, to the island ofCuba, to report: that I have carefully enquired into the fact~, and find there is no foundation for such reports, and that I consider such reports or rumors to be entirely sensational."47 This proved to be an erroneous assumption because filibuster expeditions, in spite of efforts by the United States and Spain to

46, S.W. Paul to John G. Carlisle, 21 January 1895; and S,W, Paul to John G. Carlisle, 10 Decemher 1894, both in RG 36, Customs Bureau, Special Agents Reports and Correspondence 1865-1915, S,W. Paul, box 360, National Archives. 47, KF, Chamherlain to Collector of Customs, I July 1895, RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Received 1890-1906, entry 1498, National Archives; G.L Baltzell to e.S, Hamlin, 11 April, 1895; G.L. Baltzell to B,F. Dillon, 13 May 1895; G,L Baltzell to E.F, Chamherlain, 13 June 1895; and G.L Baltzell to Secretary of the Treasury, 19 January 1895, all in RG 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Sent 1891-1912, Fernandina, Fla., entry 1497, National Archives. FERNANDINA FILIBUSTER FIASCO 41 stop them, continued reaching Cuba for the next three years. Five months after the Fernandina fiasco, Baltzell was instructed by the Treasury Department to detain the filibuster vessel Laurada, which was expected to dock in Fernandina before it was seized in Charleston, South Carolina. A year later, the filibuster steam tug Dauntless arrived in Fernandina on October 30, 1896, without arousing suspicion. It had just unloaded thirty-two expeditionar­ ies, a dynamite gun and its shells, 1,100 rifles, 1,000 pounds of dynamite, one million cartridges, and medicine at the delta of the San Juan River in Santa Clara, Cuba. Another filibuster ship, the Commodore, operated from Fernandina and neighboring waters. These vessels and others maintained clandestine operations until the United States went to war with Spain in April 1898. 4S Although Borden resigned most of his vice consulate posts, he continued to be instrumental in assisting filibuster expeditions to Cuba. Borden became very prosperous after Cuban independence in 1902. Five years later, he married twenty-year-old Florence Reynard, the daughter ofa Brooklyn sea captain, and in 1908, built the Villa Las Palmas mansion, which still stands today at 315 Alachua Street. He bought seven valuable lots for his estate through "Fernandina's enterprising real estate agent," George L. Baltzell. The animosity between them, as a result of the Fernandina Plan, had certainly vanished a decade later. In 1925, the Cuban Government presented Borden with a diploma for mer­ itorious service in the war of independence.49 Rubens continued to serve the cause of Cuban independence and defended in court scores of filibusters charged with violating the Neutrality Act. In February 1898, he prompted a diplomatic incident that forced the resignation of the Spanish Minister in Washington, Enrique Dupuy de Lome. The attorney had received from a Cuban separatist a purloined letter from the Minister to a friend in Havana, describing President William McKinley as "weak and catering to the rabble and, besides, a low politician who

48. H.H. Buckman to C.L. Baltzell, 18 November 1895, RC 36, Bureau of Customs, Letters Received 1890-1906, entry 1498, National Archives; Coastwise Vessels Entered, October 1896, RG 36, Bureau ofCustoms, Record of Entrances and Clearances 1894-1902, Fernandina, Florida, National Archives; Cuba en fa Mano, 629; Federal Writers Project, Guide to Fernandina, Florida, Jacksonville Public Library. 49. Wendy Philcox, "The Rise and Fall ofN.B. Borden: The Final Years," Amelia Now (fall 1993): 3641; The Fernandina Record, 13 March 1908. 42 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY desires to leave the door open to himselfand to stand well 'with the jingoes of his party." Rubens released the document to William Randolph Heart's New York Journal, which published a facsimile on its front page. He then personally gave the original missive to McKinley. In consequence, Dupuy de Lome cabled his resignation to Madrid five days before the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana harbor. Rubens was in Havana, wearing his colonel's uniform of the Cuban Liberation Army, at the independence ceremonies on May 20, 1902. The Cuban Congress later conferred on him the title "Great Friend ofCuba," and he became president ofa railroad company on the island, which made him a millionaire. 50 The Fernandina filibuster fiasco cannot be blamed on a single incident or person, as some writers have previously done. The cul­ pability is shared by the misjudgments of the main conspirators, which initiated a chain of events that culminated in disaster. Marti was careless in signing the Fernandina Social Club register and by accompanying Lopez de Queralta to confer with the distrustful ship­ broker. Borden raised suspicions when hiring two yacht captains who knew each other, by flagrantly trying to circumvent the sailing charters, and by confessing to the Collector when confronted with the Lagonda's captain. LOpez de QueraJta's desire to operate within the law led him to reveal the plan and Marti's pseudonym to a dubi­ ous sailing agent and to bungle the arms shipments. Mantilla attracted undue attention to himself upon arriving in Fernandina and erred by dumping the crated weapons into the river instead of returning them to Borden's warehouse. The Cuban rebels in the United States and Costa Rica were indiscreet when exaggerating details to journalists and boasting that the expedition was bound for Cuba. Informant James Batewell was motivated to collect the gov­ ernment bounty for the confiscation ofthe expeditionary yachts and armament, and the yellow press was fulfilling its sensationalist role. In spite of these mistakes, the Fernandina failure did not derail the planned uprisings throughout Cuba on February 24,1895. Instead, it inspired Cuban exiles and their supporters in the United States to continue the war effort by organizing numerous filibuster expedi­ tions to the island in order to gain national independence.

50. Rubens, Liberty, 287-92; "The Worst Insult to the United States in its History," (New York) Journal, 9 February 1898; Henninio Portell Vila, Vidas de la Unidad Americana (Havana, Cuba, 1944), 235-41; Cernuda, La Gran Enciclopedia Ma'rliana, 1: 321.